ThaiBev to swallow Sabeco, Carlsberg to stock up on Habeco

Thailand’s largest drinks company Thai Beverage, owned by the nation’s richest man, Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi, has expressed interest in buying about 51 per cent of Vietnam’s state-owned beer brewer Saigon Alcohol Beer and Beverages Corporation, or Sabeco, after ThaiBev initially bid for 25 per cent as the only foreign firm.

The Vietnamese trade ministry is looking to sell a $5-billion stake in the nation’s biggest brewer.

ThaiBev, through its subsidiary Vietnam Beverage Company Ltd, wants to buy 327 million Sabeco shares, equal to around 51 per cent of the beer firm, the ministry said in a statement on December 13. The auction is to take place on December 18.

However, other global brewing groups including Anheuser-Busch InBev, Kirin Holdings, Asahi Group and San Miguel are out of the game since they didn’t register for the auction after initially showing interest, expressing concerns about the ministry’s pricing.

Meanwhile, the stake sale of second largest state-owned brewery Hanoi Alcohol Beer And Beverage Company, or Habeco, is progressing, with Danish brewer Carlsberg saying they are edging closer to reaching an agreement with the Vietnamese government to increase its stake in Habeco.

Carlsberg, which already owns 17.3 per cent of shares in Habeco, has been discussing its priority purchase rights with the Vietnamese government for years which in the best case could result in a 51-per cent takeover of the Vietnamese beer maker.

Vietnam has one of the world’s most attractive beer markets and the biggest in Southeast Asia, buoyed by a young population that downed nearly four billion liters last year. The government wants to fully divest its majority stake in Habeco and Sabeco.

Thailand’s largest drinks company Thai Beverage, owned by the nation’s richest man, Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi, has expressed interest in buying about 51 per cent of Vietnam’s state-owned beer brewer Saigon Alcohol Beer and Beverages Corporation, or Sabeco, after ThaiBev initially bid for 25 per cent as the only foreign firm.

The Vietnamese trade ministry is looking to sell a $5-billion stake in the nation’s biggest brewer.

ThaiBev, through its subsidiary Vietnam Beverage Company Ltd, wants to buy 327 million Sabeco shares, equal to around 51 per cent of the beer firm, the ministry said in a statement on December 13. The auction is to take place on December 18.

However, other global brewing groups including Anheuser-Busch InBev, Kirin Holdings, Asahi Group and San Miguel are out of the game since they didn’t register for the auction after initially showing interest, expressing concerns about the ministry’s pricing.

Meanwhile, the stake sale of second largest state-owned brewery Hanoi Alcohol Beer And Beverage Company, or Habeco, is progressing, with Danish brewer Carlsberg saying they are edging closer to reaching an agreement with the Vietnamese government to increase its stake in Habeco.

Carlsberg, which already owns 17.3 per cent of shares in Habeco, has been discussing its priority purchase rights with the Vietnamese government for years which in the best case could result in a 51-per cent takeover of the Vietnamese beer maker.

Vietnam has one of the world’s most attractive beer markets and the biggest in Southeast Asia, buoyed by a young population that downed nearly four billion liters last year. The government wants to fully divest its majority stake in Habeco and Sabeco.